10 Inspiring Ultra Finishes - Page 3

8. Overcoming the odds

Amy Palmiero-Winters, Heartland 100, 2009

Photo by A Step Ahead Prosthetics, courtesy of Amy Palmiero-Winters.

In 1994, Palmiero-Winters was involved in a motorcycle accident that eventually cost her her left leg below the knee. A lifelong runner, she resumed competing with a prosthetic, completing several marathons in the 2000s and then moving up to ultramarathons.

In October 2009, with several below-knee amputee titles and records already to her name, she added an outright win, capturing the women’s crown at the Heartland 100 in Kansas in 18:54:13.

In 2010, Palmiero-Winters also became the first amputee to finish the Western States 100, completing the course in 27:43:10.